Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29551888›Full record

SynthesisDrug design, development and therapy2018

Intra-articular platelet-rich plasma versus hyaluronic acid in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis.

Hua-Feng Zhang, Chen-Guang Wang, Hui Li, Yu-Ting Huang, Zhi-Jun Li

Open access · goldAbstract readComparative StudyMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Drug design, development and therapy, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 55 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
55citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
16.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

55 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 117 citations in OpenAlex.

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  10. Trial
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  14. [Prospective clinical study on extracorporeal shock wave therapy combined with platelet-rich plasma injection for knee osteoarthritis].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2019
    Trial
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  17. Spin and reporting bias in the use of platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Hua-Feng ZhangDepartment of Orthopaedics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Chen-Guang WangDepartment of Orthopaedics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Hui LiDepartment of Orthopaedics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Yu-Ting HuangCancer & Immunology Research, Children's Research Institute, Children's National Medical Center, Washington DC, USA.
Zhi-Jun LiDepartment of Orthopaedics, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
Tianjin Medical University General Hospital · CNChildren's National · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePlatelet-rich plasma (PRP) and hyaluronic acid (HA) have been increasingly used in recent years to treat knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, whether PRP is superior to HA is controversial.

methodsWe conducted an electronic search of PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane library. The pooled data were analyzed using RevMan 5.1.

resultsThree prospective and ten randomized trials were identified. PRP injections reduced pain more effectively than HA injections in OA of the knee at 6 months (mean difference [MD]=-14.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -26.12 to -2.23;

conclusionThe intra-articular injection of PRP was not obviously superior to HA in knee OA. Due to the limited quality and data of the evidence currently available, more high-quality randomized controlled trials are required.

Indexed as

Platelet-Rich PlasmaHumansHyaluronic AcidInjections, Intra-ArticularOsteoarthritis, KneePain MeasurementRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRecovery of FunctionTreatment OutcomeViscosupplementsHyaluronic AcidViscosupplementshyaluronic acidkneeosteoarthritisplatelet-rich plasma

Identifiers

PMID29551888
PMCPMC5842781
OpenAlexW2790600717

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.